Kingsman Agent in Film and Television

Headquarters of the Bureau of Secrecy, Office of the Deputy Director.

Zhang Anping answered the phone.

“Anping, I’ve been thinking about it and I feel that the burden on your shoulders is a bit heavy right now. You’re also in charge of this special committee, and I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it. How about this: leave the training of the brigade to Lao Qi for the time being, temporarily, I mean temporarily, and then you can focus on the special committee. What do you think?”

On the other end of the phone, Mao Renfeng spoke to Zhang Anping in a consultative tone.

As ordered by the adjutant's office, the focus now is on controlling public opinion. The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics should suspend the Special Operations Brigade and the joint training course, and devote itself entirely to controlling public opinion to ensure that the "sewage" does not ferment in the country.

However, in his report to Mao Renfeng, Zhang Anping suggested that instead of suspending the training of the Special Operations Brigade, the Traffic Police Brigade should send capable personnel to intervene in the training, thereby drawing on the special agents from the Special Operations Brigade who were responsible for political training.

Therefore, Mao Renfeng used a strategy of pointing east while attacking west to force Zhang Anping to make a choice.

Hearing Mao Renfeng's "gentle" tone on the phone, Zhang Anping couldn't help but smile.

Mao Renfeng has never let himself down, never!
"Director, the training of the Special Forces has entered a critical stage, and I don't want to give up." Zhang Anping tried his best to remove the usual coldness from his tone, but Mao Renfeng, who knew him well, could still hear the grit in Zhang Anping's voice.

"But I think the matter of controlling public opinion is of great importance—if I take charge of it personally, I can effectively communicate with the Party Central Committee and avoid shirking responsibility, and I can comprehensively control public opinion."

"Don't touch the headquarters. I can find a way to get Xu Baichuan to come and help temporarily. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Mao Renfeng on the other end of the phone smiled slightly. Just as she had expected, Zhang Anping was reluctant to give up the control of the brigade, but he was also reluctant to give up the opportunity to please the chief attendant. Even the ancients knew that you can't have your cake and eat it too. What kind of wishful thinking did you, Zhang Anping, have?

Mao Renfeng deliberately lowered her voice:
"Then let's go to the bureau meeting."

Zhang Anping called out anxiously:

"Seat!"

Mao Renfeng heard Zhang Anping's anxious voice, but she still pressed the phone button first without hesitation before pressing the receiver down.

"Hey, even without you, Butcher Zhang, would I still want to eat pigs with hair on?"

Mao Renfeng suppressed the urge to burst out laughing. "Zhang Anping, do you know that you're always in the minority at bureau meetings?"
Zhang Anping, on the other end of the phone, also suppressed the urge to burst out laughing.

He had been secretly planning this "battle" ever since he discovered the four major families' secrets three months ago when Global Trade was selling financial packages—even though he was in charge and knew the details of the "battle" himself, he had no confidence in stopping the tidal wave of attacks that followed.

He doesn't have that much courage to take the blame for such a big problem and become such an obvious scapegoat!
Even if Mao Renfeng were extremely loyal and put himself on the front line for the sake of the chief attendant and the personal interests of the four major families, he would still have to find a way to refuse, let alone now that Mao Renfeng wants to take the initiative to grab it!
But when it comes to acting, one must naturally go all the way. If one cannot go all the way, Mao Renfeng may later realize that this is a huge pit he himself dug for himself.

So after Mao Renfeng rudely hung up on him, Zhang Anping decided... to strike!
I, Zhang Anping, am best at exchanging favors!

So, in the following period, Zhang Anping began to privately "communicate" with the elders attending the bureau meeting. It was called communication, but it was actually an exchange of interests—Zhang Anping was willing to give up certain benefits in exchange for the elders' support for him at the bureau meeting the next day.

Many people secretly jokingly call Zhang Anping "Taotie"—a true taotie refers to those insatiable scoundrels who disregard national interests and only stuff their own pockets. What makes Zhang Anping similar to Taotie is that whatever benefits the Zhang faction has taken, apart from the deceased Dai Chunfeng and that unapproachable chief attendant, not even the Heavenly King himself can get them out of Zhang's mouth!

But now, Zhang Anping is actually using personal gain as a bargaining chip, earnestly requesting the elders to support him in taking charge of the soon-to-be-established special committee at tomorrow's bureau meeting.

Faced with Zhang Anping's overtures and his offer of benefits, many veterans chose to accept them and extend goodwill to Zhang Anping.

The reason is simple: being a fence-sitter means choosing which side to side occasionally based on the benefits offered by both sides. That's the true way to be a fence-sitter. Unlike before, when the Zhang faction was so arrogant that they didn't even bother to accept them—even after they formed a behemoth around Zhang Anping, Zhang Anping still thought of using them as a scapegoat!

But since he was a fence-sitter, he naturally had to learn to go with the flow—on one hand, he agreed to Zhang Anping's conditions and showed goodwill, and on the other hand, he didn't hesitate to inform Mao Renfeng.

And it wasn't just one or two people doing this.

Mao Renfeng, who received seven or eight phone calls in just three hours, almost laughed herself silly.

Zhang Anping, you are truly a talent. I, Mao Renfeng, have been burning incense and praying to Buddha all the time, but you only think of doing so when it matters most.
You dare to play this game of exchanging favors? I, Mao Renfeng, will not play it.

What you can give, I, Mao Renfeng, can give as well!
And I can give even more!
“Anping is a man who judges others by his own petty standards—if he wants to control the Special Committee, then let him control it. It’s not like I’m forbidding him from doing so!”

Mao Renfeng's seemingly sarcastic remarks are actually a veiled attack on the heart:

"The matter concerning the Special Committee is of great importance, so I suggested that he temporarily set aside his plans for the headquarters. He always thinks too badly of me!"

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore—since you've called, how about we discuss the composition of the special committee?"

"The higher-ups are placing such importance on public opinion control this time, we can't afford to mess up. You have to recommend a few top-notch people to me, do you understand what I mean?"

Mao Renfeng repeated these words over and over again.

Without a doubt, all the veterans who called Mao Renfeng collectively "betrayed" him after these words.

The reason is simple: in order to control the Special Committee, Zhang Anping was willing to cede the interests of the Special Operations Brigade and even the interests of the Zhang faction's station group, but he never mentioned distributing the pie of the Special Committee.

This time, the control of public opinion is, to put it bluntly, to protect our Taotie—this is a legitimate way to do private work for the big bosses!

How to build a deep and lasting friendship with your superior?
Is it about serving the public with utmost loyalty and dedication?
Or are they wholeheartedly doing personal favors for the boss?
Smart people know how to choose!
Mao Renfeng used the special committee as bait – compared to the benefits Zhang Anping ceded, this was an enormous benefit!
How to select these veterans still needs to be considered.

Mao Renfeng felt like he was about to lose all his winnings. Zhang Anping, you're really being petty!

Mao Renfeng thought the situation was settled and happily went home, waiting to show Zhang Anping what it meant to be caught off guard at the next day's bureau meeting. However, when he arrived at his door, he found a car waiting at the gate.

Mao Renfeng was stunned when she saw the person getting out of the car.

Ye! Xiu! Feng!
The boss of the Party Affairs Bureau actually blocked Mao Renfeng's door?
He invited Ye Xiufeng inside, and after exchanging pleasantries, Ye Xiufeng explained his purpose:

Zhang Anping asked him to put pressure on the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to ensure that Zhang Anping would be in charge of the special committee jointly established by the two bureaus.

The two bureaus have joined forces to establish a special committee to manage public opinion?!

Mao Renfeng immediately realized that Zhang Anping felt that the promises of those fence-sitters were not reliable, so he deliberately changed the definition of the special committee from a special committee unilaterally composed of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to a joint committee composed of the Party Affairs Bureau and the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

Well, Zhang Anping, you actually... stooped so low as to collude with outsiders for this position?!

But Mao Renfeng quickly realized Ye Xiufeng's intentions.

Is Zhang Anping's idea good or bad?
Honestly, it's excellent!
Zhang Anping was able to subdue the Party's intelligence bureau and was even more capable of carrying out his will within the secret service. If he were to truly take control of this special committee, the efficiency and results would undoubtedly be outstanding.

But here's the problem—the two bureaus joined forces to give you Zhang Anping a ladder to help you reach the sky.

Are we... that ladder?
dream!

Ye Xiufeng probably couldn't openly refute it, fearing that Zhang Anping, who was in charge of the joint training program, would cause trouble, but in his heart he must have been extremely resistant. Who the hell would give you a chance to rise to the top?
That's why he came.

Realizing this, Mao Renfeng had a plan. After discussing it with Ye Xiufeng, the two hit it off and prepared a huge trap for Zhang Anping.

……

The next day's bureau meeting.

Immediately after Mao Renfeng presented the "big cake" of the special committee, Zhang Anping volunteered. He then waited for the support of the participants, but unexpectedly, apart from the Zhang faction, only one elder hesitated and gave Zhang Anping his support. The others pretended to be deaf and dumb.

Subsequently, Mao's faction members stood up and attacked Zhang Anping, questioning whether, given the importance of the Special Committee, Commander Zhang, while also overseeing the Special Operations Corps, he could truly devote himself wholeheartedly to the Special Committee's public opinion control.

At this point, Mao Renfeng "kindly" offered Zhang Anping a choice:

Either abandon the Special Operations Brigade or abandon the Special Committee.

In short, don't try to eat fish and bear's paw at the same time—you'll choke to death!

Zhang Anping's face was gloomy, and he made no choice, clearly unwilling to give up.

Mao Renfeng has already begun to use the special committee to divide the spoils. This time, he has made his intentions clear, excluding all members of the Zhang faction from the framework of the special committee.

Before the bureau meeting was even over, Zhang Anping stood up indignantly and left the meeting midway, citing feeling unwell as the reason—a first for him.

This almost prompted Mao Renfeng to order a grand celebration at the bureau headquarters...

Zhang Anping began a "death struggle," using his connections to suggest to his superiors that the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and the Party's Information Bureau jointly establish a special wartime public opinion committee.

And you know what? This suggestion did indeed receive the approval of many people in the entourage.

At this very moment, a large-scale conflict broke out between the Party's intelligence bureau and the secret service bureau—the specific reasons are now unknown, but the participants on both sides numbered over two hundred, nearly five hundred, and a massive brawl took place on the streets of Nanjing.

Although both sides exercised restraint and did not draw their guns, the consequences were extremely severe, with both the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and the Party's intelligence bureau suffering the consequences.

However, this incident also made the Attendants realize that cooperation between the two families was impossible. Even if they followed the bull's head to drink water, they wouldn't get any. Zhang Anping's suggestion was thus shelved...

After this incident, Zhang Anping did not show up at the bureau headquarters for ten consecutive days, clearly disgusted to the core.

Mao Renfeng, who had kicked Zhang Anping aside, personally took on the role of director of the Special Committee for Public Opinion Control and began to deploy troops according to the public opinion control report provided by Zhang Anping.

The first step is that all newspapers, including those with sensationalist headlines aimed at boosting sales like gossip newspapers, must join the Newspaper Censorship Committee. All newspaper templates must be reviewed by local censorship committees before they can be published.

The second step was to dispatch agents from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to secretly infiltrate all newspaper offices. Even if they couldn't serve as censors, they were required to be responsible for tasks such as serving tea and water. The third step was to establish a printing censorship committee, which would review all printings exceeding a certain quantity.

The fourth step is to dispatch secret agents to infiltrate printing plants of a certain size and ensure comprehensive surveillance—to guarantee that no "dirty news" will be printed.

As for the other steps that follow, they are mostly political training work, so there is no need to describe them in detail.

In short, these steps essentially nip any possibility of "sewage news" emerging in the bud.

Of course, many newspapers were unwilling to accept these conditions.

But would the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics allow them to refuse?

The Bureau of Secrecy's approach was:

Courtesy first, then attack!

"present":
They secretly sabotaged the template of the troublesome newspaper, causing it to be unable to publish for several days.

If they still don't surrender, then it's time to resort to "military force":

Investigating under the guise of communist collusion—in order to promote the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics' civilized law enforcement, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics would invite reporters to witness the entire investigation process. In order to show respect for the witnessing reporters, every piece of evidence would be reviewed by the witnessing reporters.

As for the delay of three to five months, that can't be blamed on the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics. It's clearly the "witness reporters" who have problems with their efficiency!

After a series of tactics, including diplomacy followed by force, newspapers that refused to yield either went out of business or obediently joined the censorship system.

Any troublemaker must be smoothed out!

The results were quite "touching," and the American media was practically exploding with excitement, but in China, nobody even mentioned them. —As an aside, under this media control, in a certain city about to be liberated by the People's Liberation Army, the city's newspapers had just been announcing that the Nationalist army had driven the Communist army thousands of miles away. The newspapers had barely been published when the PLA liberated the city, leading the city's residents to instinctively believe that the PLA could descend from the heavens like a divine intervention…

In light of his various achievements, Mao Renfeng proudly submitted a report to the Attendant's Office entitled "Experience in Public Opinion Control," seeking recognition for his efforts.

The report, of course, makes no mention of the name Zhang Anping.

The executive office was overjoyed and immediately forwarded the report to several other intelligence agencies, instructing them to learn from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics' experience and strengthen their control over public opinion.

……

Is this method of controlling public opinion to prevent unfavorable news from appearing at its root really effective?

The answer is... yes.

In a certain city, during a secret meeting of the underground Communist Party.

When representatives from higher authorities presented several news articles and requested that we find a way to publicize them, the comrade in charge of publicity said bitterly:
"Sir, the current public opinion environment is very difficult. The reactionaries have secretly planted spies in various printing plants. In the past, we could use the printing plants' off-hours to secretly print, but now as soon as the machines are turned on, the black dogs will smell it and come. Our work is very difficult to carry out now - please give us some time to identify the reactionary spies."

The Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and the Party's Information Bureau caught the underground party off guard in the public opinion campaign.

Although the situation was bad, it was ultimately just because they were caught off guard. The underground party was confident that they could expose the enemy's spies—the only problem was that they could no longer conduct propaganda work through "legal" newspapers as before.

The superior representative smiled slightly upon hearing this:
"Comrades, you don't need to figure out how to print the propaganda materials this time. Just receive and distribute them—because we have prepared enough propaganda materials!"

Then, the higher-level representative asked with concern:

"The question now is whether you are confident that you will receive this batch of promotional materials? You know, this is not just a matter of one or two truckloads."

The attendees were astonished. No need to consider printing?

"Commander, you can rest assured—these reactionaries have now filled a large number of manpower into newspaper offices and printing plants, and the intensity of their investigations is unprecedentedly relaxed. Our comrades were worried that this was a trap set by the reactionaries, but after investigating, they found that it was entirely due to the lack of manpower."

"There will be absolutely no problems with the receiving process!"

The superior representative was overjoyed:

"That's good! Let's discuss it—we'll launch a unified publicity campaign in five days!"

Such a scene was being played out again and again among the underground Communist Party members in various cities.

……

In five days, a large amount of propaganda materials entered the cities of the Kuomintang-controlled areas through various channels. News reports and evidence from the United States were delivered one after another, and the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics and the Party's Information Bureau prepared for the strategic offensive like soldiers in battle formation.

It was completed without any major incident.

When the five days were up, after midnight, countless underground party members, countless passionate students, countless passionate workers and citizens received a series of "evidence" that left them speechless and burning with anger, and began to distribute them on a large scale.

These included simplified propaganda leaflets translated from various American news outlets, as well as various newspapers published by the Chinese Communist Party.

As the sun slowly rose and daylight arrived, the entire Kuomintang-controlled area seemed to be ignited in that instant.

[US: This isn't an ally, this is a thief!]

Military aid? No, this is a feast for gluttons!

[Donations from overseas Chinese who scrimped and saved, and meals on the plates of gluttons!]

[The mastermind's $4000 million loyalty was actually worth only $17!]

[A hopeless group of chief retainers!]

One shocking news story after another ignited the flames of anger among the Chinese people.

How can a person be so shameless?
And just as the anger of a large number of Chinese people was being ignited, some people, faced with such news and looking at their own opulent homes, said with heartache and indignation:

"I... I'm actually this kind of person with a conscience?"

Many Nationalist government officials fell into deep self-doubt. They thought they were greedy and insatiable bastards, but compared to real bastards, they were actually... good people?!

Should we laugh or cry?

However, many Nationalist government officials fell into deep despair—they thought that the Nationalist government, having defeated Japan, could lead the weak China out of the predicament of being partitioned by the great powers, but they never expected that the root of the problem had rotted to such an extent!
Many of them are knowledgeable; they can read the original text of the American newspapers shown on the leaflets—even the US president angrily criticized it. Could such a thing be fake?
No wonder the more they suppress the CCP, the stronger they become;

No wonder people's lives are becoming increasingly decadent;

No wonder many officials no longer care about national affairs—even when the Communist army is about to reach the city, they don't care.

So his heart was dead!

At this point, we must mention a large group of retired officers. On May 5, 1947, more than 400 people wearing yellow woolen uniforms (most of them were generals) mourned at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum to express their dissatisfaction with the Nationalist government for kicking them, a group of non-direct-line officers, aside.

The incident stemmed from these retired officers, who had dedicated the best years of their lives to the military and the War of Resistance against Japan. After being dismissed by the Nationalist government under the pretext of troop reduction, they faced hardship.

Some officers even sold their wives to survive, while others committed suicide due to poverty.

The Nationalist government eventually reluctantly made arrangements under pressure, but it was only a reluctant arrangement—and at this moment, when they saw what the gluttons had in their pockets, they completely erupted.

We dedicated the best years of our lives to fighting for our country, and what was the result?

The cost of settling us "useless trash" was less than one ten-thousandth of what you embezzled, and you couldn't even spare such a small amount?!
Is there any reason?
An unimaginable wave is silently yet rapidly gathering.

Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

On Mao Renfeng's desk was a thick stack of propaganda materials—they were free, and didn't even require the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to deploy a large number of armed forces to investigate. Mao Renfeng and his secretary could collect them in just a few minutes by simply walking around the streets.

And this is right on the doorstep of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics!

When a person is extremely nervous, they will not sweat.

Just like Mao Renfeng now, he didn't break out in a cold sweat. Instead, he looked very calm, so calm that he didn't even seem to be breathing.

Suddenly, Mao Renfeng's vision went black, and she collapsed onto the table.

It was as if it had been gently pushed down by an invisible yet incredibly powerful force.

It took the terrified secretary more than ten seconds to realize that the director had fainted.

Only then did he come to his senses, and he shouted sharply:

"Someone come quickly!"

"The Director... has fainted!" (End of Chapter)